The present invention relates to an improved manually actuated control for releasing the position of elements of motion furniture, such as a recliner chair.
Prior to the present invention, manual controls have ranged from handles positioned between an arm and an adjacent seat cushion or on the exterior of the arm. Normally such handles can either move the components of the chair or move a cable in a sheath with the lever installed in the arm. The arm is connected to a suitable portion of a mechanism which may be a latch which maintains the chair in its upright position until released or other suitable mechanism coacting with the chair components for controlling their position.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,056,862 discloses a recessed lever actuator for a recliner mechanism which includes a housing with a lever pivotally mounted therein which are mounted in an opening in the arm of the chair. The lever is connected to a cable sheath structure which extends to lock links which secure the chair mechanism from movement until released by actuation of the lever. The handle of the lever is a generally flat structure having a central opening therethrough and connects to the lever body which is pivotally mounted therein and is spring biased to its position with the handle within the upper portion of the housing.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,107,720 discloses a flexible cable and sheath combination connecting to a latch mechanism from an actuator installed in the outside portion of the arm. The actuator includes a housing having a recess into which the lever is inserted and a pin which pivots the lever to the housing. The lever includes two positions to which the cable may be secured and the housing has two positions to which the cable sheath may be secured. The torsion spring which resists the movement of the lever is installed so that lever movement tends to unwind the spring rather than the preferred winding of the spring and the torsion spring is wound around a shaft on which the lever is mounted and between the lever and the housing. This and other prior patents have a problem of not protecting the fingers of the person in the chair, particularly at a time which the person returns the leg rest to its retracted position. This can cause the individuals fingers to be trapped therein. Further the amount of travel and the mechanical advantage of such prior devices are able to do the job but such prior devices could be more efficient if their mechanical advantage and length of travel were increased. With overtravel a cable system does not require the end position of the cable sheath at the latch mechanism to be adjustable as shown in FIG. 3 of U. S. Pat. No. 5,107,720 which discloses a slotted sheath connection. One disadvantage of prior systems is that the cable is maintained under tension at all times which is undesirable for the cable and sheath structure and other control head components, especially if a component is made of a plastic subject to creep.
Similar manual actuators have been used in the automobile industry to release the automobile door for opening. An example of one type of car door structure is shown in the Fukumoto U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,822.